W. Brandywine residents want manager out

WEST BRANDYWINE — Many of the 80 residents who attended Thursday’s township meeting expressed anger that Manager Ron Rambo is still on the job.

Rambo was recently charged with misappropriating township funds.

Doug Smith, who is running unopposed in the May Republican primary for township supervisor, agreed with the general consensus in the meeting room where voices were raised and tempers flared as supervisors and residents argued.

“In any business if you’re charged with what Ron Rambo is charged with, you’re fired — except here,” Smith said. “His day here is over.”

An April 11 statement issued by Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan reads: “Detectives determined that (Rambo) was using his position as township manager to defraud the township using several means, including forgery.”

Hogan said Rambo, a 20-year township manager, forged medical receipts, stole movie tickets and defrauded the township out of a total of $456.

“Rambo could not explain how the ... receipt was created but admitted it was not accurate when he submitted it to the township,” reads the affidavit about an alleged forged medical receipt.

After much discussion, the board unanimously agreed at a contentious April 18 meeting to place Rambo on leave indefinitely but to retain him as a consultant.

Supervisor Joe Obernier said Thursday that Rambo was paid a yearly salary of $128,000 for all his township duties. Rambo will earn a wage of $62 per hour while working from his home.

Resident Catherine Courreges called for Rambo’s immediate termination. If he is retained on an hourly basis, she called for a formal schedule of his duties, an excel spreadsheet of township grants, an outline of ordinances currently under review, the status of all township bonds and a list of every duty performed by Rambo, including seats on boards and committees.

Obernier said Courreges’ suggestion seemed reasonable.

“There is no time line yet; it’s part of what they’re trying to put together,” Obernier said.

Although supervisors’ Chairman Tom McCaffrey voted to place Rambo on leave at the April 18 meeting, the supervisor was opposed to a complete severance since, he said, temporarily retaining Rambo is cheaper than any alternative.

“A person is innocent until proven guilty,” McCaffrey said. “I know as a citizen that a person has right to due process. It’s in the very best interests of this community to get a job done as inexpensively as possible.”

McCaffrey said while he has his own personal opinion on the Rambo charges, the manager is a necessary cog in the township infrastructure.

“I’m waiting for a conclusion,” McCaffrey said. “It’s to our financial benefit to keep him here. There are things that have to be done in this community.”

Supervisors also said they were advised by township attorney Eric Brown to “refrain” from responding to questions from the public except for “benign replies.”

McCaffrey said Rambo, who was working from his home, was not closely monitored but the board would have an answer for the public concerning Rambo’s work schedule at the May 16 meeting.

“I don’t keep personnel records or stand in the building and keep track,” McCaffrey said.

Some residents pressed supervisors to set an end date for Rambo’s tenure and length of term as a consultant.

Supervisor Bill Webb, who initially contacted the district attorney, was mostly quiet.

McCaffrey continued to answer most questions directed to the board and hinted that Rambo might voluntarily step down.

“At some point the guy will probably say I don’t want to do it (anymore).” McCaffrey said.

With the day-to-day absence of Rambo, supervisors consolidated several existing staff positions and added a new employee to complete tasks Rambo had performed.

“We don’t want to start from scratch,” Obernier said. “It would cost far more time and money than for Ron to do it.”

Mowday prodded supervisors to consult an attorney on salary matters, while McCaffrey said the board had no need to examine “contingencies that may never occur.”

“There’s plenty of time to go ask an attorney,” McCaffrey said as a pair of police officers stood at the exits of the meeting room.

Obernier said the township might be sued if supervisors took a misstep since the township might be viewed as having “deep pockets.”

“He’s not been to court yet,” Obernier said. “There’s a lot of stuff we don’t do until he’s adjudicated.”

Three audience members spoke favorably of Rambo, including Steve Jakatt.

Jakatt acknowledged that Rambo had been charged with stealing from the taxpayers and the township manager does “not have the most agreeable attitude” but argued that McCaffrey and Obernier had “thrown Rambo under the bus.”

“Ron Rambo has saved the township more tax dollars than you and I know,” Jakatt said.